Machine for separating the wires of cables



Nov. 10, 1931. J. Q. HOLMES 1,831,114

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING THE WIRES OF CABLES Filed Jan. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 10, 1931.

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MACHINE FOR SEPARATING THE WIRES OF CABLES Filed Jan. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 NOV. 10, 1931. J HOLMES 1,831,114

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING THE WIRES 0F CABLES Filed Jan. 6, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Kg Q R QM:

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 um Eo STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN Q. HOLMES, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO DELCO-REMY CORPORATION,

OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MACHINE FOR SEPARATING THE WIRES OE CABLES Application filed January 6, 1930. Serial No. 418,970.

This invention relates to the manufacture of electrical conductors, for example the conductors which are used to connect electrical apparatus used on an automobile. Where any piece of electrical apparatus requires that two or more wires be connected with it 1n order to complete an electric circuit the practice generally is to use a cable of separately insulated wires bundledtogether and encased by a sheath of woven or braided threads. A piece of cable of the desired length is cut off from the supply, and, in order that the several wires of the cable may be connected with he te m nals of an ele trical device it is necesarv to cut a ay or t'rav out the sheath of b ded t reads a short distancei rom the end of the cab e in order thatthe wires may be separated from each other so that they may be stripped of their insulation and secured directly to terminal posts or to suitable ter minal clips.

One of theobjects of the present invent on is to provide a machine by which a portion of the cable sheath is stripped away from the end of the cable in order to expose the insulated wires in the cable. The disclosed embodiment of the present invention comprises a pair of knives which split the cable longitudinally a certain distance from its end, thus dividing the cable into two portions, each portion including an insulated wire and a portion of the sheath. 'After the cable isthus split. the two portions are gripped by devices which tend to give the portions a sort of rolling motion while at the same time pulling them out still further apart in order totear and fray out the sheath to a still greater distance from the endof the cable.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the extent to which the insulating sheath is pulled apart in order to vary the length of the separated portions of the wires of the cable.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of one torrn'ot the present invention is clearly shown.

tion.

Fig. 2 is a perspective side View viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow 2 of Fig.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, the section being taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 4. y

' 4 is a sectional view on the lineal- 4 of Fig. 3. I

Fig. 4a is a sectional view on the line eta-4a of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line-5-5 of Figs. 4 and 6 showing the position of parts of the machine after having cut through a portion of the braided sheath and after having separated the insulated wires of the cable.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3'and showing the position of parts of the machine corresponding to that shown in Fig. 5.

Figs. 5a and 6a are views similar to views 5 and 6 respectively and show positions of parts of the machine after having split and torn apart the braided insulation down to the flexible metal tube which incloses the cable.

Fig. 7 is afragmentary side view partly in section on line 77 of Fig. 8 and shows an adjustable lost motion connection between certain parts of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 7. 3

' The apparatus is supported by a table 20 having legs 21. A fluid pressure cylinder '22 is supported on the under side of the table 20 and cooperates with a piston (not shown) attached to a rod 23, the upper end of which is attached to a yoke 24, each arm of which is provided with a slot 25. One of the slots 25 receives the head of a screw 26 threaded into a nut 27, having a cylindrical end portion 28 received by the slot 25 in the other branch of the yoke 24. The space between the branches of the yoke 24 is o'ccupiedby lever 29 and a cam 30, The lever has a square viewed in 2.

- portion 32 is less in diameterthan the flange portion 33 and is less in width than the thickness of the cam 30. The threaded portion of the screw 26, which extends through a washer 34 larger than the square hole in the lever 29, is smaller in diameter than the head portion of the screw 26. Therefore, the cam 30 may be clamped against the lever 29 in any desired position of an ular adjustment relative to the nut 27 by threading'the screw 26 into the nut thereby clamping the lever 29 and cam 30 between the washer 3 1 and the flange 33 of the nut 27. The periphery of the cam is non-circular. Therefore, its position relative to the lever 29 will determine the amount of upward movement of the rod 23 which may take place before the cam 30 engages the bottom surface of the notch of the yoke 34 following which the lever 29 starts tomove in a clockwise direction as p As will be more apparenthereinafter. by varying the amount of lost motion which may take place between parts 23 and parts 29 it is possible to vary the extent to which the insulation sheath of the cable may be split and pulled apart.

The lever 29 is pivoted upon a pin 40 received by any one of a series of holes etl in a bifurcated pedestal 42- arising from a base a3attachedtothetab e20. Theportionofthe ever 29 which is hidden behind the pedestal 12 is provided with a series of holes correspending with the series of holes 41 in the pedestal. Like the holes 41, these holes of the lever 29 each receive the pin 10. This means provides an additional way of adjusting the angular movement of the lever 29 produced by the vertical movement of the rod 23, and thus provides anaddit-ional'way of adpisting the extent to which the insulation sheath of the cable may be pulled apart.

The pedestal 12 provides ways and 51 between which a head 52 is guided for vertical movement. The head 52 provides an aperture 53 for receiving one end of the lever 29. The head 52 provides a lug 5a through which a stop screw 55 is threaded, the bottom end of the screw 55 engaging the pedestal 12 in order to limit the downward movement of the head 52 to that required for pulling apart the insulated sheath to the desired extent.

The base as ofthe pedestal 12 supports a block to which a frame 61 is secured by screws 62 into which a bearing bracket 63 is attached by screws 64-. The frame 61 provides a'bearing 65 and the bracket 63 provides a bearin 661501 a shaft 67 to which is attached a gear 68 meshing with a rack 69 attached to the head 52.

The frame 61 provides grooves 70 and 71 which guide for vertical movement racks 72 and 73 respectively meshing with a gear 7 1 driven by the shaft 67. When the head 52 moves downwardly the gears 68 and 71 will he moved in a clockwise direction due to the downward movement of the rack 69, thereby causing the rack 73 to move downwardly and the rack 72 upwardly. Screws 75 attach to the rack 73 a block 77. Screws 76 attach to the rack 72 a block 78 similar to the block 77. The front faces of the blocks 77 and 78 are substantially flush with the front faces 79 and 80 of the frame 61. A cover 81 attached by screws 82 to the frame 61 maintains the blocks and racks in-position within the frame 61. The upper surfaces of the frame 61 and of the cover 81 are covered by a top plate 83 attached to the frame 61 by screws 84. Cable sheath splitting knives 85 and 86 are attached to blocks 77 and 78 respectively by screws 87 and 87 respectively. As shown in Figs. '5 and 5a the right hand side surface 90 of the block 78 cooperates with an insulation fraying finger 91 movable with the block 77, and the block7 8 carries an insulation fraying finger 92 which cooperates with theleft hand side'surface 90a of the block 77. The fingers 91 and 92 are provided with slots 90a and 9 1 respectively receiving pivot pins 95 and 96 respectively carried by the blocks 77 and 78 respectively. The ends. of the fingers 91 and 92 remote from the work cooperate with the beveled camming surfaces 97 and 98 respectively provided by notches 99 and 100 respectively cut in the side walls of the frame 61. The notches 99 and 100 respectively receive the ends of levers 101 and 102 pivoted on pins 103 and 1061 respectively carried by the blocks 77 and 78 respectively. The levers 101 and 102 are yieldingly urged against the surfaces defining the notches 99 and 100 respectively by springs105 and 106'respectively having their free ends bearing against the levers 101 and 102 respectively and their fixed ends coiled around pins 107 and 108 respectively and their intermediate portions bearing against pins 109 and 110 respectively carried by the blocks 77 and 78 respectively. The ends of the fingers 91 and 92 remote from the work are yieldingly urged toward the surfaces defining the notches 99 and 100 respectively and also toward the free ends. of the levers 101 and 102 respectively by springs 111 and 112 respectively having their free ends received by notches 113 and 114 of the fingers 91 and 92 respectively and having their fixed ends coiled around pins 115 and 116 respectively and having their intermediate portions bearing against pins 117 and 118 respectively carried-by the blocks 77 and 78 respectively.

The manner of using the invention is as follows. A cable 120 comprising a pair of insulated wires 121 and 122 encased in a braided sheath 123 and a flexible metal tube or armor 124 is first stripped of its armor 124 a certain distance back from the end of the cable whose insulated wires are to be separated. The end of the conductor bared of the armor covering 124 is inserted through the vertical slot 130 in the front cover plate 81 and is located between the cutting edges of the shear blocks 85 and 86 as shown in Fig. 8. By a suitable valve (not shown) air is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder 22 whereupon the rod 23 will move upwardly and the head 52 downwardly in order to cause the blocks 77 and 78 to move from the position shown in Fig. 3 to positions shown in Figs. 5 and 5a. During movement of the blades 85 and 86 into the positions shown in Fig. 5 the insulating sheath 123 is out part way from the end of the conductor and the ends of the fingers 91 and 92 are moved respectively into engagement with the beveled camming surfaces 97 and 88. As the blocks 77 and 78 move from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 5a the fingers 91 and 92 are caused to advance toward the shear blocks 86 and 85 respectively in order to clamp the insulated conductors 122 and 121 respectively against the blocks 85 and 86 respectively and against the blocks 77 and 78 respectively which support them. Each conductor and the portion of the braided sheath surrounding it is squeezed between members which are moving in opposite directions. Therefore, the braided sheath clamped against the insulation of each wire is given a sort of rolling motion while the sheath is being torn apart. In this way the sheath is unraveled or frayed out while being pulled apart starting with the place where it was cut apart by the shear blades 85 and 86. Since the insulation covering of each of the wires 121, 122 is given a rolling motion while being pinched between a clamping finger and a shear block moving in opposite directions, this insulation is loosened from the metallic part of the wire so as to facilitate stripping of the insulation so that the wire may be attached to a binding post or terminal clip.

The product of the machine is shown at the free ends of the cables 120 in Figs. 1 and 2.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination, means for gripping end portions of the wires, and mechanism for moving the gripping means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing longitudinally of the cable.

2. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a. sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination, means for cutting the sheathing longitudinally of the cable, in order to separate end portions of the wires, means for gripping the end portions of the wires, and mechanism for moving the gripping means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing.

'3. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or wovenmaterial comprising, in combination, means for cutting the sheathing longitudinally of the cable in order to separate end portions of the wires, devices forgripping the end portions of the wires, each device comprising clamping members movable in opposite directions simultaneously, and mechanism for moving the gripping means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing longitudinally of the cable.

'41. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material com prising, in combination, devices for gripping the end portions of the wires, each device comprising clamping members movable in opposite directions simultaneously and mechanism for moving the gripping means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing lengthwise of the cable, and separate the exposed wires. j

5. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination,.a pair of oppositely moving blocks, cooperating oppositely moving shear blades each carried by a block, movable gripping fingers each carried by a block and cooperating with the other block to grip a conductor and a portion of the conductor cable sheath between them, a mechanism for causing the blocks to move in opposite directions and a camming means cooperating with each finger to cause itto move toward the work during movement of the block which supports it.

-6. A machine according to claim 5 in which the. mechanism for 'moving the blocks comprises a pair of racks cooperating with a single gear and means for oscillating the gear, each rack being attached to a block.

7. Means for separating the wires of a-cable having insulated .wires surrounded by a sheathing comprising in combination, means cable having insulated wires surrounded by I asheathing comprising in Combination, means for cutting this sheathing longitudinally in order to separate the wires, means for separating the Wires, devices for gripping portions of the wires and mechanism for moving the gripping means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing along the cable.

9. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination, means for cutting thesheathing in order to separate end portions of the wires, means for clamping the end portions respectively of the wires against the cutting means, and mechanism for moving the cutting means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing.

10. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination means for cutting the sheathing in order to separate end portions of the wires, devices for clamping the end portions of the wires respectively against the cutting means, each device comprising a clamping member movable in opposite directions simultaneously toward the respective cutting means, and mechanism for moving the cutting means in opposite directions in order to tear the sheathing.

11. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination, devices for gripping the end portions of the wires, each device comprising a relatively stationary clamping member, and a clamping member movable toward the relatively stationary clamping member and mechanism for moving the two movable clamping members in opposite directions simultaneously toward their respective stationary clamping members and for moving the two gripping devices bodily in opposite directions in order to tear the sheath.

12. Machine for separating the wires of a cable having insulated wires surrounded by a sheath of braided or woven material comprising, in combination, a pair of oppositely moving blocks, cooperating oppositely moving shear blades each carried by a block, movable gripping fingers each carried by a block and cooperating with the other block to grip a conductor and a portion of the conductor cable sheath between them, a mechanism for causing the blocks to move in opposite directions, and a means responsive to movement of each block to cause each finger to move toward the other block.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

J OHN Q. HOLMES. 

